Artfully Elegant — Handmade Jewelry & Handcrafted Gifts

New Artists Are On Their Way!

February 3rd, 2012

The AE team had a long, busy day in New York on Monday. As we do twice a year, we packed up the Family Truckster and made the 75 mile trek to the New York International Gift Fair in New York City. This year, we adopted a divide and conquer approach – Ranjeet and Ellen were on the hunt for new artists for our Home sections, while Rori and I were left to explore all of the amazing jewelry. While we love the NYIGF, the problem is that so many of our artists attend, so we spend part of the time catching up and checking out what’s new! It was great to see Barb and Suzanne at Anne Sportun, Noelle from ZPots, Lyndsey and Heather from Heather Moore Jewelry, Kate from Polli, Stephen Estelle, and so many more I’m probably forgetting! Point being, it can be hard to balance catching up with our friends and finding new artists to join our collection. Rest assured, this winter’s show did not disappoint. Here’s a quick rundown of all the new artists we added. Look for longer, individual blog posts as their work arrives in the shop in the coming weeks!

• Thomas Mann [pictured] – Thomas grew up in Allentown, PA – a mere ten minute drive from our store in Bethlehem. He’s been living and working in New Orleans since the late 70s, expanding his “Techno-Romantic” style into a fully realized collection. We should have some jewelry in as early as next Monday or Tuesday!
• Dolan Geiman – Dolan considers himself a mixed media artist – meaning he works with a variety of materials on varying mediums. Incorporating found objects, reclaimed wood, and other materials, Dolan’s work merges folk art with urban style.
• Molly M Designs – Ever since Tivi went back to their roots and stopped making jewelry, we have missed having some wooden jewelry in the shop. Molly fills that niche nicely! Her wooden pendants and earrings are laser cut with intricate designs. They are super light weight and perfect for every day.
• Beth Mueller – Rori and I immediately fell in love with Beth’s tiny ceramic vases, mugs, and plates. Each one is hand painted with an image and a little saying. My description leaves something to be desired, but I immediately fell in love with the image of a penguin and “hi.” written in Beth’s thin, reedy handwriting.
• Rebel – We can’t forget about the men, so we picked up a bunch of Rebel’s masculine leather bracelets in a variety of colors. To be honest, I even liked some of them for myself, so these can definitely be unisex for the woman looking to make a statement.
• Sheila Fajl – Hailing from Brazil, Sheila’s jewelry is big and bold. We picked up a ton of hoops and statement earrings and necklaces in silver, yellow gold, and rose gold. I owned a pair of Sheila’s earrings before we added her, so I am very excited for these to come in!
• One Swell Gal – We are expanding into something we’ve never done before – clothing! Natasha Keller screen prints scarves, cardigans, and T-shirts in her studio in Upstate New York. We fell in love with her bird and peacock motifs. Strangely enough, Natasha and I went to the same high school in rural New Jersey!